GOING back to one’s hometown during Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a yearly affair for city folk.
Some would purchase their tickets well before Ramadan to avoid any disappointment. However, there would also be those who procrastinate and only do so at the eleventh hour.
The latter includes my family. We had to wait till our children’s holidays were confirmed before we purchased our tickets to my hubby’s hometown in Kuching, Sarawak.
It has been our yearly Raya affair after my mother died 21 years ago. My five boys regard Kuching as their kampung as my mother-in-law is their only grandparent left to visit.
This year, two of my boys did not celebrate Raya with us in Kuching. My eldest celebrated with his in-laws while my third son is having summer classes in the United States.
Thus, our contingent was reduced to four. My second son bought his ticket very early on and decided to spend the two days before Hari Raya in Kuching. The rest of us had to wait till the very last minute after my fourth son had his holidays confirmed (he is doing matriculation at Universiti Malaya).
Unfortunately, as we only decided on the dates late, all flights to Kuching on the eve of Raya were fully booked. We only managed to get tickets for the first day of Hari Raya.
After morning prayers, we packed our bags and headed for the airport, which was brimming with people.
We reached Kuching in the evening. Our Raya celebration started on the second day, which was Monday.
As my mother-in-law is the only elder left in her family, many of her nephews, nieces and relatives came to visit her. At least 20 people came knocking on the door at one time.
The Sarawakian specialty on this joyous day is, of course, the Sarawak layer cake. There are new recipes and designs every year.
This year, the new ones are Rugged Cheese, Tutti Fruity, Nutella Mint and Royal Chocolate Cheese. The bakers played around with colours and flavours, but the main ingredients of golden churn butter, castor sugar, flour, eggs and condensed milk remain.
Another unique feature of Hari Raya in Kuching is that the men wear their baju melayu, sampin and songkok for seven days when they go out to visit, unlike people in the peninsula who would only do so on the first day of Raya.
What do Sarawakians serve on the first day? Definitely not rendang and lemang. My husband is of Javanese descent, so their specialty is nasi ambeng or nasi ambang.
On the night of Raya eve, everyone in the kampung would gather in my mother-in-law’s house. Each family would bring their own nasi ambeng on banana leaves in a big tray.
Nasi ambeng is a fragrant rice dish that consists of white rice prepared with spicy fried chicken, vegetables, fried noodles, salted fish and fried coconut flesh. The dish would be divided into eight parts. A little doa selamat would precede the exchange of the nasi ambeng. The most interesting thing is when we get to taste nasi ambeng brought by other guests.
This year, I got more curious about the history of my husband’s Javanese blood. I sat down with my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law’s father to ask about their origins.
Both are about 85 and have sharp memories. My mother-in-law said she was the second generation of Javanese Malay in Sarawak. Her parents were from Jawa Tengah and fled the Dutch rule to seek better opportunities in a new land.
Her parents ended up in Kuching, working for the British in the rubber estates.
My husband’s grandfather, on the other hand, was from Johor. He was an ulamak and a trader named Abdullah Mursyid who travelled to Sarawak to spread the teachings of Islam.
He landed in Kuching and married my husband’s grandmother of Javanese descent.
He built the surau at the kampung which was known as Kolong 1 and Kolong 2.
There is a small number of Javanese community in Kuching, but they are known as the Malay community. Sarawak is a unique state as the people are of Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Chinese, Kedayan, Eurasian and other ethnic groups.
The Javanese community in Kuching is very close-knit. They speak the Javanese language, which I have not made an effort to learn despite being married to a person of Javanese descent for 30 years.
They are proud of their food, and would serve Javanese food, such as jadah, nasi ambang, pecel, urap, sayur lodeh and kripik tempeh, during festive occasions.
But, many have assimilated with the other races in Kuching. There are a lot of intermarriages in my husband’s family — some have married Ibans, Bidayuhs and Melanaus.
It all makes Sarawak a true melting pot of people.
The writer is former associate
professor at the Academy of
Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam